Nystrom grew up playing several sports, including soccer and baseball, and only seriously considered a hockey career in his mid-teens.[7] While Eric was regarded as an NHL prospect himself, his father encouraged him to seek an education first, which the younger Nystrom did upon earning a scholarship to play for the University of MichiganWolverines in 2000.[8] He spent four years at Michigan where he earned a degree in liberal arts.[7]

He moved onto the University of Michigan, earning a place on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Rookie team in 2002 after scoring 18 goals and 31 points.[11] On the strength of that season, the Calgary Flames selected him with their first pick, 10th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.[12] Before turning professional, Nystrom completed his final three seasons of college eligibility, finishing with 111 points in 160 career games, and serving as the Wolverines' captain in his senior year of 2004–05.[13]

alt = A hockey player stands and looks to his right during a pre-game warm up. He is wearing a red uniform with white and yellow bands at the waist and elbows, and a stylized "C" logo on his chest.

Upon turning professional in 2005, Nystrom was assigned to the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was recalled by the Flames at the start of the 2005–06 season and made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche on October 10, 2005.[13] He played two games with the Flames before being returned to the AHL to complete the season.[9] Nystrom missed most of the 2006–07 after suffering a tear in his right shoulder during a pre-season game. He attempted to rehab the injury and then play, before opting on surgery. The injury limited Nystrom to just 12 regular season games for Omaha, but he returned in time to play five playoff games for the Knights.[14]

Nystrom split the 2007–08 season between the Calgary and the Quad City Flames. He appeared in 44 regular season games for Calgary, and scored his first NHL goal on October 30, 2007, against the Nashville Predators.[13] He scored a career-high four points, two goals and two assists, in the Flames final game of the regular season, a 7–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.[15] Following the season, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Flames.[16]

Nystrom played his first full NHL season with the Flames in 2008–09, playing in 76 games and scoring five goals, three of them game-winning. He added a fourth game-winning goal in the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks.[13] He more than doubled his career high in 2009–10, scoring 11 goals despite struggling through a groin injury for a large part of the season. He was invited to play with the American team at the 2010 IIHF World Championships.[17]

Nystrom chose to leave Calgary as a free agent, signing a three-year, $4.2 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2010.[18] He scored four goals and eight assists in his first season with the Wild,[9] a season which Nystrom admitted was not good, and "snowballed negatively" for him.[19] The 2011–12 season posed early challenges for Nystrom. In a pre-season game against the Edmonton Oilers, his attempt to avoid an icing call resulted in his stick getting caught up in the skates of Edmonton's Taylor Fedun, sending the latter player crashing into the boards at high speed. Fedun suffered a broken leg and the play renewed calls for the NHL to move to no-touch icing to avoid similar incidents in the future.[20] He was waived by Minnesota prior to the season's start, but went unclaimed by any other team and was demoted to the AHL's Houston Aeros, with whom he appeared in one game.[21]

On October 12, 2011, the Wild dealt him to the Dallas Stars. Minnesota had to place him through re-entry waivers first, and while Dallas could have claimed him at that point and been responsible for only half of his $1.4 million salary, they took on his full salary via trade so as to meet the league's minimum payroll rules.[21] Dallas general manager Joe Nieuwendyk praised Nystrom as being an effective penalty killer who would add depth to his team.[22] Though he was anticipated to play in a defensive checking role, Nystrom added an offensive touch for Dallas, scoring 10 goals in his first 21 games with the team.[23] His 12th goal of the season set a new career high,[19] and he finished the year with 16.[24]

Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Nystrom signed with Stavanger Oilers late November and made his debut in the Norwegian GET-ligaen in a match against Vålerenga on December 20. Nystrom had four goals and three assists in his first game.[25] He played only six games with the team, but recorded 14 points. Returning to the NHL once the lockout was resolved, Nystrom scored 11 points in 48 games with Dallas.[26]

Nystrom left the Stars as a free agent following the 2012–13 NHL season and signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators worth $10 million.[27] He recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career on January 24, 2014, against the Calgary Flames and finished with a franchise record four goals. The Predators lost the game, however, 5–4 in a shootout.[28][29]

On June 29, 2016, Nystrom's three-year tenure with the Predators was brought to an end, as he was placed on waivers for the intent to buy-out the remaining year of his contract.[30] As a free agent, Nystrom was unable to attain a NHL contract opting to attend the St. Louis Blues training camp on a professional try-out offer on September 8, 2016.[31]

Nystrom has frequently involved himself with charitable endeavors throughout his career. While with Quad City, he performed an on-ice striptease that mimicked the one performed by the character Ned Braden in the movie Slap Shot as part of a team jersey auction. The event raised $30,000.[32] He served as a player ambassador for the Reading... Give it a Shot! program as a member of the Flames and visited local schools as part of the team's campaign to increase literacy among students.[33] Nystrom is active with Garth Brooks' Teammates for Kids Foundation.[34]